Cleaner roller-type assembly for picking up dust, lint and the like



1964 M. s. KANBAR ETAL 3,158,887

CLEANER RQLLER-TYPE ASSEMBLY FOR PICKING UP DUST, LINT AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 5, 1965 Ticil. H

i 4 INVENTORS g; 6 a 232 0.) a;

47 7 CPA/E7 United States Patent Olldce Bflildb? Fatented Dec. 1, 1964 lcolm Foster, NY.

This invention relates generally having an adhesive surface adapt oller-type cleaners pick up lint, dust s passed over the to permit the user to run the cylinder across a fabric or other surface to remove lint and other foreign material therefrom. Such assemblies operate effectively until such time as the adhesive layer is covered with dirt, at which poi t it is necessary to provide a fresh layer. With conventional assemblies, it is difficult for the user to replace the dirt-covered layer with a clean layer. Moreover, where the layer is drawn from a roll of adhesive tape ed within the and the roll is used up, it becomes still more dificult insert a new roll within the cylinder.

Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to A rovide a cleaning roller assembly for rolling away lint, pet hairs and dust from fabric and suede a ticles, as well as from upholstery and various other surfaces, the a sembly having an adhesive tape roller which may be readily replaced.

More spe i ically, it is an object of the invention to provide a red for a roller assembly of the above type wherein adhesive ape is reve se-wound on a cylinder to ca es-e adhesive surface, the refill being insertable within a yoke-shape handle.

A further object of the inven ion is to provide a roller assembly of s: ple, sturdy and efficient design which may be manufactured at low cost.

Briefly stated, these objects are accomplished in a roller assembly constituted by a yoke-shaped handle having a pair of resilient arms, one of which is provided with fixed beari gpin and the other of which is pro vided with aperture to receive a retractable bearing A replaceable roller in the form of a tube having a roll of adhesive tape reverse-wound thereon, is enclosed .t either end by removable caps having central apertures herein to admit said bearing pins. In use, when the tape on the roller is exhausted, the removable bearing pin is ulled out to permit withdrawal of a roller from be- ;he flexible arms, and a refill is then installed, after the bearing pin is re-inserted to hold the refill in For a better understanding of the invention as well as other ob'ects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, therein:

view of a roller assembly in accord- Fi-G. l is ap the hand of a user whereby the roller may be rolled over a surface to be cleansed.

lrojecting inwardly from arm 12 and integral therewith is abearing pin 14, the pin being in alignment with a bore 15 in arm 13 which is adapted to receive a retractable bearing pin 16, having a disc-shaped head 16a to facilitate gripping. Head 16:; of the bearing pin is received within a recess in arm 13 whereby when the pin is inserted in bore 5, the head lies flush with the arm surface. The roller ill, which is supported by the pins, is comprised of an open-ended tube 14 formed of spiralwound cardboard or oth r inexpensive material, onto which is reverse-wound a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape whose adhesive layer is exposed, rather than its backing layer.

The ends of tube 17 are enclosed by a pair of caps 1's and Each cap is formed by a sleeve which telescopes snugly within the tube and a disc which lies against the edge of the tube and is provided with an opening to receive a bearing The caps 19 and 243 are preferably made of the same material as the handle, and are easily removed from the tube.

The roller it is replaceable by means of a refill, which as s. separately in FIG. 4, is provided with a protective sheet Sh et is formed of a laminated foil material whose outer metallic ply presents an attractive cover for the refill and whose inner ply is of a plastic material which contacts the surface of the tape. The sheet is embossed so as to f rm its surface into an array of small dimples whose convex portions only adhere to the tape, thereby facii"ating the stripping off of the sheet after the roller is put in place on the handle.

in practice, when the adhesive layer on the tape 18 is covered lint or dirt, the soiled portion is torn oil Willi from the tape to expose a fresh layer. When the tape is exhausted, a refill roller is inserted. This is accomplished by pulling out the retractable pin it: and then withdrawing the used roller. The arms 12 and 13, which are of plastic, have suflicient give or resilience to allow the used roller to be withdrawn from the fixed bearing pin 14.

The caps and 2b are then pulled off the used roller and pushed into the refill roller, after which it is only necessary to place the capped refill within the handle arms and rensert the pin In practice, the retractab 16 may be spring-mounted, whereby it can be pulled out to release the roller and then let go to re-enter the bearing hole of a refill.

While there has ee shown what is considered a preferred emb""'ment of a cleaning roller assembly in accordance w cation, it will be mani est that many the luv hanges and modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential spirit of the invention. It intended, therefore, in the annexed claim to cover all sech changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A cleaner roller-type assembly for picking up dust, lint and the e by passing the roller over the surface to be cleaned, said assembly comprising a yoke-shaped plastic handle havi g a pair of resilient arms extending in spaced parallel re ion, one arm having an inwardly extending bearing '11 formed thereon, the other arm having a bore in r astration with said pin, a retractable pin insertable in sa d' bore, and a replaceable roller mounted on said bearing pins, said roller being constituted by an openended tube having a pressure-sensitive tape reversewound thereon with its adhesive coating exposed to form a dirt pick-up layer whi h is renewable by peeling 05 the soiled portion of the tape, and removable caps enclosthe ends of said tube, said caps having central jouropenings to receive said pins, said caps being formed by a sleeve telescoping in the end of the tube and attached tb an apertured disc lying against the edge of the 1,815,785 7/31 Leimberger 24255.2 tube, said roller being in refill form'With a protective 2,359,314 10/44 Klein et al. sheet Wound about the tape which may be stripped 01f to 2,624,060 1/53 McKenzie 15-104 expose the tape, said sheet being formed of a laminated 3,070,102 12/62 MacDonald 15227 X metallic foil and plastic material having a dimpled sur- 5 face to educe the surface area in contact with the tape FOREIGN PATENTS thereby facilitating removal of the sheet, the plastic inner 409 586 5/34 Great Britain 7 ply engaging the surface of the tape, the metallic ply 891:740 3/62 Great Britain: bang eXPosed- 1,007,211 4/57 Germany.

References Cited by the Examiner 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examzner.

243,248 6/81 Hall. 

